In a press conference, the leaders of Somaliland’s two opposition parties Waddani and UCID stated that they no longer recognize the government led by President Muse Bihi as legitimate and added that henceforth shall be referred to as the President whose term has expired and the Chairman of Kulmiye Party.
Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro) and Mr. Faisal Ali Warabe have previously stated that they will no longer recognize President Bihi after November 13th, 2022, when the House of Elders has given the President a two-year term extension.
“We call all of you to strengthen your peace, and unity and protect your stability without allowing anything illegal and dictatorship,” the statement from the opposition parties said.
Efforts to bring the opposition leaders and the President have not succeeded and are still ongoing. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the two sides may meet in the coming days.
The Minister of Interior Mr. Mohamed Kahin Ahmed and the Commander of Police Forces, Brigadier-General Mohammed Adan Saqadhi (Dabagale) responded to the opposition’s statement. Brigadier-General Dabagale as he is widely known have stressed the importance of peace and security where Minister Kahin spoke about Mr. Cirro’s 12 year-term as the ormer Speaker of the Parliament where his term was repeatedly extended.
Election disputes and term extensions for Presidents and legislators have been a constant factor in most elections held since the re-independence of the Republic. The current dispute centers on which of the two elections will be held first: Presidential or Political Parties and Associations. The opposition parties claim the presidential elections should be held first on November 13th, and have accused the President of deliberately delaying it by disbanding the previous National Election Commission.
President Bihi whose term was extended by two years by the House of Elders has stated that his government has prepared all the funding necessary to complete the voter registration, that the political parties and the Presidential elections will be held within the nine-month period per the recommendation of the National Election Commission. It is unclear which of the two elections will be held first and exactly when.
Political Parties and Associations have completed the first qualifying round which produced a total of nine political party aspirants who, together with the current three political parties of Waddani, UCID, and the ruling party of Kulmiye, will compete for one of three coveted spots to become national party for a period of ten years.